You can be salty if you want but the majority of the word has moved on from archaic desktop apps.

Generally these 'archaic' desktop apps have much better UIs than all the flat mobile-focused UIs that are popular these days with their oodles of wasted screen space, messy menus and unnecessary extra clicks needed for basic operations.

You said it yourself, the web apps popular.

Why do you think that is? What makes them popular?

Figma, canva etc are all really popular. Google docs is popular. They are all easy to use. For basic tasks we really dont need a huge expanse of menus and options all laid out like an aircraft cockpit. I would argue for a normal person that is far worse than some empty screen, which maybe hides a bit, but puts the more common or important tools visually first.

Maybe it could just be a toggle in a menu somewhere, "pro mode". These FOSS tools could learn what was good about modern design and try to iterate on the good take aways.

Inkscape is not for basic tasks, and shouldn't be dumbed-down imho. Yes, (you're about to say) software can always be improved.

I'm guessing there are other programs free through expensive that meet your basic-tasks use case. Be mindful, these are volunteers.

Not to mention, archaic desktop apps work offline

> salty

I don't think that means what you think it means.

A bit like the meta discussion, salty is current term in society unlike GIMP and Inkscape UI.

I have a concrete questions:

Why can’t a lot of FOSS projects try and distill what is good about modern UI or ideas instead of looking like a program from 10 years ago.

What is the obstruction in the community getting people to work on this? Hostile power user attitudes?

Simultaneously if free software advocates want it to be adopted why don’t they cater a bit to the good things about modern design?

Saltily remarking “you get what you pay for”, is hostile. Fine I’ll use the modern web and tools, and they can lament on HN wondering where everyone went.

The problem is foxes, Inkscape does try and distil what is good about modern UI. The critique doesn't fit because it ignores the very real and material efforts in Inkscape's UX team to do exactly what you are saying.

And the improvements in this release reflect a lot of that work.

The point was, there's no such thing as a free lunch. Someone is paying one way or the other. Comparing a few volunteers to trillion dollar organizations or VC projects is a little silly, is it not?

Not to mention "modern design" is often worse in a number of ways.

Inkscape is an incredible achievement with the amount of resources it has had available. If you can do better, do so. I'm willing to bet a comparable program is 1000x more work than you anticipate.

This poster gets it:

https://news.ycombinator.com/item?id=31406310

There is such a thing as a FOSS lunch, though :) And I think its allowed to discuss the fact that todays lunch seems salty.

If you've got constructive criticism, by all means. Offer only a misunderstood use case, don't expect to be indulged.

Maybe we have different salt. In my regional vernacular, "salty" means something you did or didn't do is making you look like a fool.

This is usually accompanied by someone eagerly pointing out "Don't you feel salty!"

I've seen that use rising among cryptobros lately, specifically to deflect critics as secretly jealous that they missed out on something. I'll allow it as long as they don't co-opt jawn as well.

trying to sassily point out that you shouldn't critique free software sounds salty to me

imean i really like inkscape but it seems obvious to me that being able to organize a focused, coherent, and powerful interface is a rare and subtle skill, and most people with it would not also happen to find themselves successfully herding the cats required for effective implementation in an OSS project

Complaining a program doesn't fit your use case (with a modern coat of paint to boot) is not really constructive criticism. Notably without specific solutions. In fact comes across as entitled.

Sure it can be improved, but dumbed-down and flat is not in the top 100 things I'd ask for.